4th of July Family Fun!

Hi Friends! :) I recently received the following note in my mailbag...

Dear Cindy,
Any suggestions for 4th of July Family Fun? I would like to do some fun things, but not sure where to start. You are my “party go to expert”....


I'm so glad you asked, dear friend! I am busy in 4th of July planning mode (my family would tell you I get a little excited about the 4th) ~ and would love to share my family~friendly ideas with you!

I've already pulled out our 4th of July books. This is my favorite.....

I've also stocked up on 4th of July t-shirts (it's a tradition, everyone gets a new 4th of July shirt from Target or Old Navy ~ for $4 you can't beat it!).

I purchased cheap red, white, and blue nail polish, and my girls and I will give each other festive pedicures before the big day! ( Nail ideas here)

And how will our family celebrate on the 4th of July??

Typically, I get up early and head to the bakery for festive doughnuts (we rarely have doughnuts in the morning, so this is a special treat).

Here's a fun early morning picture from a few years ago....

Next we head to a local Parade. I love it! We invite lots of friends and family, and have a mini "tail gate" before the parade starts. I bring a basket filled with doughnuts, juice, fruit, etc.. and lots of festive napkins.

For the kids, I stock a bag filled with color sheets, paper lunch bags to catch the candy (and markers for them to decorate the bag while we wait for the parade to start).

I also bring the nail polish again (and paint more toes while we wait), tattoos, leis, and mini flags. If you haven't guessed ~ I am a kid magnet that day (and love every minute of it!!)

In the afternoon, we fill our day with ...

Crafts ~ideas here or here or here

Coloring Sheets, Word Searches, Mazes ~ here

Games ~ here

Of course, it wouldn't be a celebration without 4th of July BINGO with red, white, and blue M & M's ~ here

We spend late afternoon celebrating with dear friends and family. Typically I need to bring side dishes along, so here are some of my favorite simple kid-friendly food ideas...

* Red and blue finger jello (star shaped, of course)

* Cupcakes for the kids (Fun Recipe here and here)

* Flag cake (Recipe here) Always a huge hit!

And then, of course, it wouldn't be the 4th without fireworks!!

Whew!! What a day ~ I can hardly wait!!

Do you have any tradition or family fun ideas to celebrate the 4th?? Share with us please ~ I'd love to hear from you!!!

Have a wonderful, joy-filled 4th of July!! May I encourage you to "mark this moment" in some special way. Your kids will remember. You will remember. :)

Many blessings to you!!

P.S. For more Works for Me Wednesday ideas, head over to We Are That Family.

P.S.S. My celebration ideas are obviously very kid-friendly. If you're looking for more "grown up" recipe ideas, there are more great recipes here and here.

A Fun Surprise ~ and a little help from YOU!!

Hey Friends!

I just love fun, encouraging surprises...don't you?! :)

Lately I've noticed I've been receiving a lot of blog traffic from a website I didn't recognize. And then yesterday, would you believe, I received this note....

Good afternoon!

(We) are delighted to inform you that you have been nominated for a 2010 BlogLuxe Award! Congratulations - you deserve it! ......Good luck! Even though there are only two winners per category....we're crossing our fingers for ALL of you! Thanks for being so amazing and creating such wonderful blogs!

Wow! The 2010 BlogLuxe Award is being presented in New York City right before one of the biggest Blogging Conferences of the year. And my little *She Sparkles* blog was nominated in the Inspirational Blog category. Can you believe it??

(Thank you to whoever nominated me. You make me blush ~ smile!)

Hopefully you know me well enough by now to know that my greatest desire is to serve an audience of One. I am intentional about not using this blog to make a profit, toot my own horn, or serve my own agenda.

I'm just a simple girl who lived an extremely defeated life, sampled the "smorgasboard of life", nearly lost my life (literally!), and has now fallen head over heels in love with Jesus.

My greatest desire is to share Jesus, while having a BLAST with LIFE along the way! To be affirmed in this way (by being nominated for this award) is a special token of encouragement, and I am grateful.

And...to think that this voting process could lead others to my blog makes me smile from ear to ear!! If you are here for the first time, WELCOME!!

I hope you'll check out my testimony (here) or some of my favorite posts (here, here, or here). I am so glad you stopped by!

And, dear bloggy friends, if you have been inspired at all by *She Sparkles* and would like to vote, I would love your help. There's no monetary prize to be won, just recognition for a job well done. You can click on the link below and vote here...

http://www.socialluxelounge.com/phpQ/blogluxevote.php

Once you click on the link, scroll down to the Inspiration category and check *She Sparkles*. You will be sent an e-mail to finalize and confirm your entry. You can vote once per day until July 12th if you'd like. What fun! :)

Most importantly, please know the friendships and encouragement I have received from YOU ~ dear friends ~ has made the *She Sparkles* experience so much fun!! You inspire me to look for JOY in the midst of my everyday "life as a mom" living. And that's the greatest award of all!!

Thanks for stopping by *She Sparkles*!! May your day be filled with God's richest blessings!!!

P.S. How will you celebrate the 4th of July this year? I look forward to this holiday all year long!! For tomorrow's post I'll share my 4th of July Family Fun ideas! I'd love to hear your plans as well!!

Monday Mailbox Question: How do you do it all??

One of the most frequent questions I receive is...,

"Cindy, how do you do it? You're married, have 4 kids, a speaking ministry, write a blog, lead a Bible study, etc... How do you do it all??".

My answer is simple ~ I don't.

Whereas it is true I am married, have 4 awesome kids, love speaking and sharing what God has done in my life, and enjoy all of the great friends I've made on my blog *She Sparkles* ~ the truth is that are a lot of things I don't do.

In fact, here are some of the things I've learned about trying to do it all....

1. "Trying to do it all" doesn't work.

For many, many years I tried to do it all. In my life before Christ, I tried to be...

Super Employee (i.e. workaholic).
Super Thin (i.e. eating disorder).
Super Mom (I was a single mom, it was a ton of work and I never slept!).
Super Perfectly Clean and Organized Home Owner.

It was empty and defeated living.

My search for perfection led me down a path of horribly unhealthy, self-defeating behaviors, and eventually almost cost me my life (literally ~ you can read more here). I am committed to never going back to being Super Woman!!

2. Know your Purpose

I now try to live very intentionally each and every day (while still having a lot of fun along the way)!! :) I spent time each season reflecting on my purpose, and try to make daily choices reflecting those decisions.

3. Prioritize your Time

On my quest for intentional, purposeful living, I have learned it is crucial to prioritize my days. Am I the only one that can turn on the computer to send a quick note, and realize 2 hours later that I forgot what I went to the computer to do?? Ahhh!!

I spent time each morning reflecting on my priorities ~ and then plan my day accordingly. Unfortunately, it also means I must say NO to a lot of things. For this season, I am choosing to not watch TV. I will never be known for my gardening skills. When friends come over, I usually feed them ice cream, tacos or pizza (I'm not kidding). I haven't been to the mall in months.

I'm learning I must say NO to good things in order to say YES to God's best.

Of course, this isn't always easy. Just this past weekend, a wonderfully talented woman I met at the Speaker's Conference asked me to go to dinner Friday night. I would have loved to spend more time with her! But in my heart, I knew my purpose and priority of wife and mom must come first.

Instead, I spent the night playing kickball with my family and enjoying ice cream on our deck. I trust God will allow me to spend time with this dear woman another time (even though she lives in VA!). Saying NO to good things isn't easy, but I truly believe God will bless our desire to keep our priorities in line.

4. Ask for Help

Asking for help has been the hardest, yet most healthy thing I've learned on my quest for sane, whole living. Here are some "helps" I currently have in place ~

* I've been blessed with a prayer team that lifts my family and all my speaking engagements in prayer.

* I have a college girl that comes over once a week (for the whole day - yippee!) so I can pray, study and write.

* My mom and mother-in-law frequently feed us on Bible study nights.

* I have a cleaning service (and they drive a car that lets the whole neighborhood know when they are over!!!). No secrets here!

* My husband John does all of our laundry. (bless you, honey!)

There is no way I could keep the full schedule I maintain without help from my family and friends!

Isn't it freeing to not have to pretend that we are capable of doing it all?? I love just being ME (the non-gardener, pizza buying ME), and I sure sleep much better these days!

Please know I do not have it all figured out! I'm on a journey, just like you. But the more we can be honest and realistic about what we are capable of doing (and what our floors really look like most days), the more we can free each other from trying to be perfect!! Life's too challenging on its own, much less pretending that we have it altogether, don't you think??

I love how Beth Moore puts it ~ We can't do all things for the Glory of God. How true!!

So, what has God called you to do?? Speak? Write? Be a Mom? Work outside the home? Be a Grandma?? What healthy habits have you put into place to live a healthy, full life?? Are there things God is asking you to let go of while you pursue His purpose for you?? I'd love to hear your thoughts! Share with us please!!

May God guide you as you prioritize your days, may He help you say NO to good things and YES to the best, and fill you with an abundance of His peace and joy as you pursue His purpose for your life!!

God's richest blessings to you~

Monday's with Beth ~ coming SOON!

Hey Friends! I made it home from my Speaker's Conference! Woo Hoo! I can't wait to fill you in on the AMAZING time I had and some of the awesome friends I met! Thank you so much for your kind words, encouragement, and prayer as I was preparing! I promise to share more later this week!!

For today, I must fill you in on our Summer Bible Study that starts Monday, June 28th!! Yippee! I can't wait!!

First, some fun history..... In 2006, my best friend Julie and I led a Bible study in her home. There were 12 of us that journeyed together that summer. Here's the original gang...

Soon the group began to grow and grow! We moved from Julie's living room to her basement. A dear woman named Mary Swierenga (an amazing prayer warrior and Bible teacher) began to mentor us. The group GREW AND GREW....

Julie sensed we should move to a location where even more women could come and join us! She went to the leaders of her church (Sunshine Church), and they graciously embraced the idea of hosting this gathering of women. I stepped in as the Bible teacher. The first season, winter 2009, the group grew to 40 women. I loved it! I was in my "sweet spot".

(Here's a fun picture from when they surprised me on my birthday....)




Since that time, the group has continued to GROW!! Women bring friends who bring friends who bring friends! All different churches, all different ages, all different stages of life! Last spring, we outgrew our meeting space and began gathering in Sunshine's main auditorium. Woo Hoo!! Over the years, one thing has stayed the same ~ our commitment to providing a welcoming, safe, and fun place to learn more about Jesus and His great love for us!!


This summer, we are switching from our "normal" routine and hosting "Monday's with Beth". We have powerful teachings from one of our all-time favorite Bible teachers, Beth Moore, and can't wait to share them with you!!

Monday’s with Beth is definitely something you will want to invite your friends, neighbors, and co-workers to! We have a variety of special surprises planned this summer ~ testimonies, live worship, etc.. The teachings are all 1 hour in length, and then we’ll have time for food & fellowship afterwards....ice cream sundae bar the first week!! Yum!!

Whether you are a new believer, have been studying the Bible your whole life, or still trying to figure this whole "Jesus thing" out ~ we would love to have you join us! We'll start each week at 7:00 PM in the Sunshine Sanctuary. Come as you are, bring your Bible, and sit back and get ready to dig deep in the Word. No homework. No cost. Regardless of your church home, all women are welcome!!

Feel free to contact me at cindy.bultema@gmail.com if you have any questions! Tomorrow we'll be learning about "The Captivity of Activity". Here's a sneak peek of a little Beth....



Thanks for stopping by *She Sparkles*. Have an AMAZING, joy-filled week!!



P.S. Monday's with Beth will meet 4 Monday's this summer ~ June 28th, & July 12, 19, and 26th. The teachings do not build on one another ~ so come to any or all that work for your schedule! We would love to meet YOU!!!